The Best Restaurant For Breakfast In Every State

It's been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but for most of us it's an afterthought; something we quickly eat before rushing to work or skip entirely on the weekends in anticipation of a festive brunch. But there are plenty of restaurants out there that don't just serve breakfast, they specialize in it, attracting local regulars and out-of-towners alike bright and early, every day of the week, and we tracked down the absolute best breakfast restaurant in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

There are few meals that are more satisfying out there than a truly great breakfast. When we get up early and take the time to go to a restaurant and relax with a newspaper, an omelette or a fruit-topped Belgian waffle, and a cup of coffee or a breakfast cocktail, it has the power to completely change our outlook for the day. Even a basic breakfast of eggs and toast can recharge our batteries, but there are certain things that we looked for on our quest to track down the best breakfast spots in each state: Is it open bright and early every morning? Does it serve all the expected classic breakfast dishes, prepared from scratch using fresh, high-quality ingredients? Does it offer some unique breakfast dishes and unexpected twists and regional specialties worth exploring, as well as options for the health-conscious? Is the restaurant itself comfortable, low-key, and homey? And is it beloved by locals and out-of-towners alike?

Not all of these restaurants are world-famous; in fact, very few of them are. The best breakfast spots are at their heart humble and free of pretense, with a team of skilled short-order cooks in the kitchen working tirelessly to turn out perfect renditions of dishes that we all know and love, day in and day out. Today, we're celebrating those unsung heroes of the morning. 

Going strong in downtown Anchorage for 20 years, Snow City Café makes just about all of its menu items from scratch, is devoted to using fresh and local ingredients whenever possible, and offers a variety of vegan and gluten-free options. They're open at 7 every morning and breakfast is served all day; on their menu you'll find seven Benedicts (including one made with Alaska king crab cakes), build-your-own omelettes, a breakfast burrito with chorizo and green chile, Mandarin orange cream cheese-stuffed French toast, pancakes, and house-made granola.

Located in the heart of downtown Little Rock and open at 7 a.m. for breakfast during the week, At the Corner uses locally seasonal produce and scratch-made diner classics. You'll find the expected omelettes, pancakes, breakfast platters, and biscuits and gravy, but there are plenty of surprises, too: don't miss the Wafflewich (a waffle sandwich with an egg, Cheddar, spiced maple syrup, and breakfast meat); Breakfast Bologna (bologna, pickled onion, smoked gouda, fried egg, beef bacon jam, and lemon thyme aïoli on a ciabatta); and toasts (ricotta and jam, mushroom and kale, or cranberry goat cheese and sweet potatoes). There are also a couple healthy bowls, including one filled with egg whites, house-roasted turkey, kale, farro, sweet potatoes, benne seeds, candied beets, cranberry goat cheese, and spicy maple.

Founded by brothers Jon and Adam Schlegel in Denver in 2006, Snooze now has eight Colorado locations and a handful each in California, Arizona, and Texas. Open daily from 6:30 a.m., Snooze's menu is divided into five sections: Flavors from the Hen (omelettes, scrambles, house-made corned beef hash, breakfast tacos and burritos, and a pot-pie twist on biscuits and gravy); The Art of Hollandaise (six Benedicts, including one topped with pulled pork and chili verde); Sammies (including sausage, egg, and cheese on a pretzel roll and a play on a traditional Cubano); Sweet Utopia (several varieties of pancakes and French toast, including hot cocoa pancakes topped with Mexican hot chocolate); and Light as a Feather (healthier options including a quinoa breakfast bowl and an egg white and vegetable frittata). There are plenty of gluten-free and vegan options available as well, and substitutions aren't just available, they're encouraged.

In business since 1967, this picture-perfect corner lunch counter is run by August Muzzi (who inherited the restaurant from his father, Angelo, and can usually be found manning the griddle) and his family. Full of regulars and dripping with old-school charm, Angelo's has just 12 stools and a handful of booths, and still retains many of its original fixtures and just about all of its original menu. The bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich is a masterpiece of the form, the pancakes are flawless, and we'll let you guess how great the grilled cheese is. It's open from 7 a.m. daily, and closed Sundays.

A classic Southern-style diner, Clary's is a colorful, homey Savannah destination serving spot-on versions of Southern breakfast staples from 7:30 daily (8 on weekends). The waffles and sticky buns are legendary, but don't miss the griddle cakes — two big buttermilk pancakes served with butter and your choice of pure maple syrup or Georgia cane syrup — filled with your choice of blueberries, chocolate chips, or Georgia pecans. House-made corned beef hash is also a specialty, as is the crab cakes Benedict. And if you can save room for an old fashioned banana split or a jumbo homemade eclair, you won't regret it.

Serving Boise's best breakfasts since 1999, Goldy's packs them in starting at 6:30 on weekdays and at 7:30 on the weekends. Owners Randy and Wanda Martinat source the best fresh ingredients they can find and use them to create breakfast-time favorites like Andalusian Eggs (two poached eggs over marinara sauce, baked with ham, chorizo, asparagus, and peppers); a frittata filled with spaghetti, Parmesan, romano, Asiago, and mozzarella topped with spinach nutmeg sauce; a variety of Benedicts and vegetables topped with their famous hollandaise; cinnamon-raisin-walnut bread French toast; house-made malted waffles; biscuits and gravy; and create-your-own-breakfast combos with a wide variety of meats, potato preparations, and bread. Eating here isn't just a breakfast; it's an adventure.

Good Morning Mama's was a gas station before the owners of next-door favorite Mama Carolla's decided to turn it into a world-class breakfast spot with an old-school malt shop atmosphere, open at 8 a.m. daily. Along with spot-on versions of breakfast staples like breakfast sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, homemade corned beef and hash, pancakes, French toast, and omelettes, visitors will also notice lots of intriguing specialties, like fried biscuits rolled in cinnamon sugar; a surprisingly authentic Hawaiian loco moco; and whole-wheat spaghetti scrambled with eggs, Parmesan, toast, and pancetta. Make sure you get some cheesy grits on the side.

Located inside a former train station that was constructed in 1887, The Depot is today one of Leavenworth's most popular restaurants. And it also happens to serve the best breakfasts in the state, starting at 7 a.m. daily. The menu here is fairly straightforward, but everything is made with the highest-quality ingredients, and there's some real talent on display here. Popular specialties include biscuits and gravy, house-made corned beef hash, pulled smoked chicken hash Benedict, fried chicken tenders and waffles, and huevos rancheros. Don's miss the cinnamon rolls or mini doughnut-muffins rolled in cinnamon sugar.

One of the most famous restaurants in New Orleans, and one of the most influential restaurants in the history of breakfast, Brennan's has been going strong since 1946, and by introducing some items not usually associated with breakfast to its menu it essentially invented brunch as we know it. It's still family-owned, and today this renowned and refined eatery opens at 9 a.m. during the week and 8 a.m. on the weekends, serving a wide variety of classic Creole breakfast and brunch dishes with just the right amount of fanfare, washed down with classic New Orleans cocktails like brandied milk punch and Cajun-style Bloody Marys. Spins on eggs Benedict like Eggs Hussarde (house-made English muffins, coffee-cured Canadian bacon, hollandaise, and red wine sauce); Eggs Owen (red wine braised short rib, crispy fingerling potatoes, poached eggs, hollandaise, and red wine sauce), and Eggs Sardou (crispy artichokes, creamed spinach, and tomato-spiked béarnaise) are nothing short of legendary, but the deliciousness doesn't stop there: barbecue lobster with Creole-spiced butter (an instant classic introduced by current chef Slade Rushing); baked apple with oatmeal pecan raisin crumble; house-made huckleberry blintzes; bacon and egg risotto; country fried rabbit with creamed collards and eggs over easy; and vanilla-scented French toast are groan-inducingly good. And should you feel the need to sample one of the restaurant's most famous dinner entrées — steak Diane, topped with brandied mushroom reduction and flambéed tableside — it's been kindly added to the menu, served with two eggs any style. Now that's a brunch dish we can get behind.

If you go to this old-school 28-seat breakfast counter, a longtime Baltimore staple, you don't need to order what Michael Phelps used to back in his training days — three fried egg sandwiches, an omelette, a bowl of grits, three slices of French toast, and three chocolate chip pancakes — but no one can fault you if you do; after all, the versions of these diner classics you'll receive will be basically perfect. Going strong for more than 50 years, Pete's is a family-run affair (owners Dave and Darlene are there every day), and it's the kind of place where the head waitress is named Debbie and she's been there for more than 30 years. It's open at 7 a.m. during the week and 8 on weekends, and if you go, don't forget that it's cash-only.

Donckers is perhaps best-known for its hand-crafted chocolates, but locals know that its restaurant (open at 7 during the week and 8 on weekends) serves some of the finest breakfasts you'll find anywhere. As many ingredients as possible are all-natural and sourced locally, and the results are pretty spectacular: flapjacks and waffles made according to an old family recipe and served with real maple syrup; build-your-own-omelettes with options like smoked Gouda, steak, portobellos, basil, and avocado; hash made with house-made corned beef or grilled sirloin; steel-cut oatmeal; all-natural breakfast meats; and a wide variety of breakfast sandwiches served on locally-made ciabatta. Who needs chocolates when there's a breakfast like this?

Fill-Up With Billups (named after a gas station) is only a year old, but it's already achieved enough breakfast renown in Biloxi and Madison that a third location in Pass Christian is in the works. As many ingredients as possible are locally-sourced (including grits from Oxford-based Grit Girl), Belgian waffles are made to order, it's inexpensive, and portions are appropriately huge. There's a ton of creativity on display, too: along with classics like steak and eggs and chicken and waffles you'll find bananas Foster waffles; bacon, egg, and cheese grits; grillades and grits; waffle sandwiches filled with peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese, and ham, bacon, cheese, and eggs; and a split biscuit topped with Creole cream cheese, ham, eggs, and shrimp etouffee. The Madison location is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m, and the Biloxi location is open 24-7 (and serves beer!).

Open daily at 7 a.m., Jam! is a bright and lively restaurant that's guaranteed to start your day on the right foot. Start your meal with some house-made cinnamon rolls or buttermilk biscuits and sausage gravy and follow it up with your choice from a wide variety of fun and creative crêpes, pancakes, Benedicts, omelettes, and specialties. Popular items include crêpes or omelettes filled with smoked pork shoulder, pork chili verde, cotija cheese, cilantro lime crema, pico de gallo, and crispy tortilla strips; blueberry ricotta or peanut butter cup pancakes; chicken and biscuit Benedict; huevos rancheros; house-made corned beef hash topped with poached eggs; and a biscuit sandwich filled with a basted egg, slab bacon, citrus arugula, chèvre, and red onion marmalade.

In a city that's as breakfast-centric as Las Vegas, tracking down the restaurant that serves the absolute best breakfast of all was a tall order, but EggWorks, which has six locations in town (including one called Egg & I – the original) and opens daily at 6 a.m., fits the bill. Going strong since 1988, EggWorks is a gimmick-free restaurant with an absolutely massive menu that makes the most out of fresh, high-quality ingredients. Seven Benedicts (including one based on a croissant with blackened prime rib), a massive variety of four-egg omelettes and scrambles, homemade corned beef hash, several varieties of French toast and pancakes, waffles, breakfast skillets, crêpes, Tex-Mex breakfasts, and even Hawaiian-style dishes like loco moco are on offer. Classic down-home offerings include biscuits and gravy, country fried steak, and steak and eggs, and there are plenty of healthy substitutions available as well.

In a state with no shortage of spectacular diners, this East Newark institution has risen to the top of the pack. Open since the 1920s and operated by current owners Jimmy and John Golemis since 1972, Tops opens at 6 a.m. daily and serves a breakfast menu that keeps regulars coming back again and again. All the expected diner classics are on offer here, expertly prepared — omelettes, pancakes, ham and eggs, French toast, house-made corned beef hash and eggs, Monte Cristo, waffles — but everything's been elevated to historic levels of greatness. Eggs are local and cage-free, and standouts include Eggs From Heaven (three eggs baked with cheesy grits in a spicy tomato jambalaya sauce with chorizo and toast), Sunrise Burrito (filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, chicken chorizo, cheese, fried potatoes, avocado, and peppers and onions and topped with spicy ranchero sauce), steak and eggs with a 12-ounce New York strip, multi-grain buttermilk pancakes topped with cinnamon and fresh fruit, Louisiana Benedict with spicy chorizo, chicken and waffles, and brioche French toast stuffed with peanut butter and spiced bananas. This place is, well, the tops.

We're just going to come out and say it: Shopsin's is unlike any other restaurant on earth. It's tiny, they don't offer anything to-go, diners can usually hear proprietor Zack Shopsin (who took over the kitchen after his father, legendary curmudgeon Kenny Shopsin, passed away last year) engaging in playful banter that borders on the abusive with his employees in the miniscule kitchen, the menu is wildly creative and has literally hundreds of items on it, and somehow everything that comes out of the kitchen is insanely delicious. Among the more outlandish breakfast items are mac and cheese pancakes; Blisters on my Sisters (sunny-side-up eggs on corn tortillas topped with peppers, beans, collards, tomatoes, onions, rice, and Cheddar); Hunky Dory (hoisin duck tempura, "Jazzy Mac," eggs, and toast); So Good (triple-decker French toast grilled cheese with poached eggs); Bibi (eggs, polenta, fufu fried duck, and chorizo kale gravy); Enchahuata (eggs, chipotle, and tomato peanut mole enchiladas); dozens of varieties of pancakes and French toast (including one topped with bacon, eggs, cheese, and mac and cheese and another with coconut sweet rice and pecan pumpkin fluff); and sundried cherry pancakes topped with jack cheese, brisket, and eggs. And that's just the breakfast menu! It's open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and Sundays from 10 to 2; we suggest you get there early.

Kroll's has five North Dakota locations, open daily from 6:30 a.m. and going strong since 1972. The rich and hearty breakfast menu is perfect for a North Dakota morning. Three- or six-egg omelettes (try the one topped with homemade chili and shredded Cheddar); six-ounce steak and eggs; country fried steak; and skillets (the Three Meat Skillet is filled with ham, country sausage, bacon, onions, green peppers, hash browns, and American cheese) served with two eggs and your choice of pancakes, toast, or a biscuit and gravy are sure to warm you up. The restaurant's German influence comes through in the Breakfast Fleischkuechle (breakfast sausage, American cheese, and eggs wrapped inside a pastry and deep fried, served with hash browns and country gravy) as well as the knoephla, a thick and creamy, bright yellow chicken and potato soup.

No Oklahoma restaurant does all-day breakfast quite as well as Hatch, which is open daily from 6 a.m. and serves a good mix of properly executed classics and super-creative and delicious inventions. There's the Famous PanOKCake (bacon, local pecans, bourbon maple glaze, and mascarpone butter); house-made beignets; chicken-fried soft-boiled eggs served with Cholula ranch and smoked Cheddar hollandaise; steak and eggs Benedict with Texas goat cheese and seared tenderloin; an omelette with grilled Duroc ham, chorizo, sautéed peppers and onions, smoked Cheddar, red and green chile sauces, and cotija cheese; egg sandwiches; croissant monkey bread; biscuits and gravy; and Tex-Mex specialties. There are also lots of healthy options, so you can get your avocado toast fix here, too.

The name of this Pittsburgh gem might be a little silly, but the big country breakfasts served at Eggs-R-Us, which is tucked away in a strip mall and opens at 6 a.m. daily, can't be beat. Build-your-own omelettes; a French toast sandwich with eggs, cheese, and bacon, ham, or sweet or hot sausage; biscuits with sausage gravy and eggs; huge buttermilk pancakes and Belgian waffles; country fried steak; shrimp and grits; a huge breakfast burrito... the offerings here aren't anything too fancy, but when it comes to breakfast, they're perfect.

One of Charleston's most legendary restaurants (and one of the best restaurants in America, period), James Beard Award-winner Robert Stehling's Hominy Grill has been serving top-notch Lowcountry cuisine in two charming and comfortable dining rooms since 1996. It opens its doors at 7:30 during the week and at 9:30 on weekends, and its country breakfasts with a Lowcountry twist are simply beyond reproach. One taste of the shrimp and grits; huevos rancheros with jasmine rice; pimento cheese biscuits with sausage gravy; grit bowls topped with beef braised in Creole sauce or slow-smoked pork belly, egg, and Cheddar; buttermilk or buckwheat pancakes; bread pudding French toast; heirloom cornmeal waffle with Cajun pork cracklins; or the legendary Charleston Nasty Biscuit — a fried chicken breast and Cheddar biscuit sandwich drowned in sausage gravy — and you'll understand why Hominy is so popular with the locals as well as a must-visit for so many tourists.

Biscuit Love got its start as a food truck in 2012, and the biscuits served by the husband-and-wife duo, Karl and Sarah Worley, proved to be so popular that in 2015 they opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant in The Gulch that opens at 7 a.m. daily. Their "East Nasty," a biscuit sandwich with fried chicken, Cheddar, and sausage gravy, is a wonder to behold, but a plain biscuit with sausage gravy (chocolate and tomato gravy are also available) is the dish to order. Also make sure you try the "Bonuts," fried biscuit dough with lemon mascarpone and blueberry compote. But there's a lot more to love about this place besides biscuits: There's a French omelette with Boursin cheese, sautéed mushrooms, and onions that would be right at home in Paris; flawless shrimp and grits; bananas Foster oatmeal; and an addictive shaved Brussels sprouts salad with hazelnuts, Parmesan, lemon vinaigrette, and two poached eggs.

Open at 7 a.m. seven days a week, Penny Ann's dubs itself the "home of the heavenly hot cakes," and their sour cream pancakes (as well as their waffles, scones, and French toast) are indeed spectacular, especially when topped with cinnamon cream cheese, fresh berries, and whipped cream, or fire-roasted caramel apples. But the menu here is enormous, and you're going to want to return again and again to sample dishes like the waffle with fried chicken cooked into it; pork chili verde skillet; smothered breakfast burrito; home fries mixed with chicken, ham, and Swiss, and topped with two eggs and hollandaise (an inspired take on cordon bleu); a fresh-baked buttermilk biscuit topped with bacon, ham, sausage, mushrooms, onions, peppers, Cheddar, eggs, and sausage gravy; house-made corned beef hash; and their legendary breakfast nachos: house-fried tortilla chips topped with two eggs and smothered in house-made pork chili verde sauce, Cheddar, and sour cream. Oh, and there are 15 omelettes, too!

An old-school swivel-stool lunch counter, Dixie is a Petersburg icon that fills up with regulars from the moment it opens at 7 a.m. daily (it's closed Sundays). It's been in business since 1939, but in 2011 it was purchased by Charlie Rawlings, who fixed it up and revitalized it while keeping the menu of simple Southern breakfasts and lunches largely unchanged. Today the restaurant is warm and welcoming, and diners line up for buttermilk biscuits topped with sausage gravy or creamed chipped beef, buttermilk hotcakes, French toast, salt herring, scrapple and eggs, country ham, grits, and omelettes topped with cheese and their famous chili sauce.

Founding Farmers, which is located on Pennsylvania Avenue a stone's throw from the White House (and has several additional locations further afield), has an interesting pedigree: It was founded by a fourth-generation farmer and President of the North Dakota Farmers Union named Mark Watne, and it's collectively owned by the more than 47,000 family farmers in the union; it also sources much of its ingredients from hundreds of family farms. The resulting food? Delicious and ethical. Beignets with a trio of sauces, chicken and waffles with scrambled eggs and white gravy, sausage and gravy or crab Benedict, roasted vegetable pan scramble, maple cured ham or a ranch steak and eggs, waffles with strawberries and cream, buttermilk pancakes with whipped blueberry butter... There's good reason why this place fills up quickly. It opens at 7 a.m. daily and 8:30 on weekends.

Open daily at 7, Stuff's is a cute and charming Wisconsin Dells landmark that's hugely popular with locals. All the bases are covered here to a tee: pancakes, biscuits with country gravy and sausage, skillets and omelettes loaded with eggs and breakfast meats, French toast, corned beef hash, ham steaks, country fried steak, and eggs Benedicts... they're all here, and they're all prepared fresh to order using top-notch ingredients.